


A Snow Tiger

by LazySintastic13 (EmeraldWriter)



Series: Skele Animals To Take Home [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Underfell, M/M, Sans is snow tiger, Underfell Sans, from cub to mature tiger, kustard - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-21
Updated: 2017-07-21
Packaged: 2018-12-05 04:08:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,106
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11570025
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EmeraldWriter/pseuds/LazySintastic13
Summary: In which Red buys a snow tiger to take care of.





	1. New Owner

He had been sold and brought back to the pet store time and time again.

Complaints of him being a destructive force or how he refused to obey orders. The tiger scoffed and didn’t care to hear the scolding he got after each return.

He didn’t like his owner. Simple as that. But of course, freedom wasn’t a choice. He was trapped here.

“Hey, you freak,” the skeleton tiger cub glared at him as he opened his cage. “Someone is interested in buying you again. And don’t look at me like that brat. I already warned him what a pain you’d be.”

The tiger growled lowly but followed the caretaker regardless. ‘Great. Another one.’

Just because he was rare, doesn’t make him a plaything for entertainment.

They reached the room where transactions occurred and the cub’s eye sockets widened. It was a skeleton monster like him, minus the ears and tail of course. And red eye lights met his blank ones.

“This is him.” The tiger growled and glared at the caretaker when he was nudged forward. Stars what he’d do to scratch the monster’s face. “Are you still sure you want him? He has quite the record for being troublesome.”

“Nah. He’s perfect.” The cub looked to the skeleton monster.

“Perfect? Pffft. Whatever you say. That’ll be 500 gold.”

The tiger gritted his teeth and was practically baring his fangs. That wasn’t his normal price. He was usually sold for 100; especially with having such a problematic record. Of course no one would pay that much for hi—

“All right.”

The skeleton cub whipped his head up to his buyer. ‘What?! Is he insane?’

“Woah, really?” Even the caretaker couldn’t believe it.

“There a problem?”

“O-Oh, uh, no. Not at all. Well, I mean, you’re willing to pay that much? For him?”

For once, even the skeleton tiger had to agree. He really wasn’t worth it.

“Again, you have a fucking problem with it?” The caretaker got to work, not wanting to irritate his customer further. And the transaction went without a cinch.

The cub was still processing what just happened. He was taken out of his stupor when his new owner crouched down to his level and waved a hand in front of him.

“Hey, you okay?” The same hand was moving forward to touch his head. The tiger flinched at the movement; however, and his owner stopped and pulled his hand away. “Right. Sorry ‘bout that.”

The tiger felt confused when the latter stood up and shot him a grin. “Wanna go and leave this dump already? My place ain’t that big, but it’s better than this.”

The cub found himself kind of liking this one. He was … different. Still, it was too early to judge. The little one followed his new owner with caution.

Who knows what he’s up against. 


	2. New Name

The house he was going to be living in was … pretty nice. Kind of cozy … and homey.

“Oh right, I need to name you?”

The cub grimaced. 'If it’s precious, or cutiepie, or snowy, or something dumb, I’m going to become your worst nightmare.’

“I’m not really fucking good with names … Hmm …” His owner seemed to be thinking pretty hard on one. And red eye lights looked right at him. “What about Sans?”

’… Without?’

“Pretty cool, right? Sans. Without. Without what? Who the fuck knows.” His owner smirked. “Adds a little bit of mystery right?”

It was certainly better than the previous names he’d gotten. So he supposed it wasn’t bad.

“D-Do you like it? Do you want a different one?” His owner now looked unsure, but the cub was more than surprised to be given a choice in the matter.

Still, he nodded that it was fine. He liked the name enough.

The uncertainty was still evident on his owner’s face. This certainly felt like he was seeing a new side to the monster from what he’d shown at the store. “Shit. I should’ve just asked this. Did you wanted to be called by something? You can name yourself if you want.”

’… I … can?’

His owner grabbed a piece of paper and pencil and went towards him. “You can read and write, right?”

The tiger nodded and was handed said materials.

“Feel free to write whatever name you want down, and I’ll start calling you that.”

His owner was really … different.

“Oh, right. I’m Red by the way. I know, lame, right? Who names their kid a colour?”

The phone rang at that precise moment, and Red went to answer it. Leaving the cub to think about a name for himself.

Several minutes passed before Red came back into the room he left the tiger in. “Thought of one yet?”

The latter nodded and walked to give him the paper.

When the skeleton took it, eye sockets widened in surprise. In big bold letters, it spelled: 'SANS’.

The bright smile he got from Red made Sans feel weird … and happy. He kind of liked seeing that smile.

“It’s a bit late but, welcome to your new home, Sans.”

And for the first time in a long while, Sans smiled.

'Home, huh.’


	3. New Home

After briefly showing the cub around, Red was rather eager to see what sort of reaction the latter would have once he revealed his surprise.

The skeleton had been very eager to have a companion, and his younger brother had suggested he get one so he could stop moping around. Red had to admit that he was quite skeptical at first, but when he entered the pet store, hearing a customer complain about some tiger, it piqued his curiosity.

He saw the documents after inquiring about it, and became quite excited to see what the little tyke was like.

Red was elated when he saw the cub. He hadn’t been disappointed.

Though, even after making preparations, he hoped Sans would like what he had in store for him.

He stopped in front of a door and opened to reveal a simple bedroom, furnished with necessities for the time being. “And this,” he waited for the little one to enter and look around. “Is your room.”

The tiger whipped his head to him, and the priceless look of awe and shock was worth the effort he put in.

“I figured you’d want your own room. You look like the type that enjoys having their own space.” Plus, Red didn’t forget how the latter flinched when he was about to pet his head. Until Sans was comfortable around him, Red had to remind himself not to touch him.

“So, what do you think? Do you like it?” Red was relieved to see the frantic nodding. “I see. That’s good. It’s pretty baren now. But when we go out and shop for stuff, you’ll fill this room up in no time.”

Watching Sans light up had more than made his day.

* * *

Two weeks had passed since then, and the two had fallen into a calm routine.

Sans would surprisingly be the one to wake Red up to get ready for work. Then the skeleton would first make breakfast for two before showring to get ready. The tiger would be either done or halfway through his meal when Red was dressed and ready to eat his own meal.

Then Sans would follow Red to the entrance-way as the latter put on his shoes. He would just stand and watch, then Red would announced he was leaving and around what time he’d be back before he left the house.

As such was their routine, and Sans found himself napping on the couch most of the time. It was a quiet household that got Sans wondering if Red had any family. The tiger had never cared much for his previous owners before, but Red was special now.

His owner always made sure he was comfortable, asked if he needed or wanted something, and made sure he was well-fed and groomed.

Sans’ tail swished from side to side as he clutched a fluffy sofa pillow to his chest in thought.

He liked Red. The skeleton didn’t make him do anything he didn’t want. He also doesn’t expect him to do anything in return.

Sans felt more at ease than ever, and decided that he would … The very thought had him gripping the pillow out of nervousness.

He would put his trust on Red. He would be loyal to him. And he hoped … He hoped that Red would never abandon and return him.

* * *

 

Red sighed when he came home. He had an overnight shift today, but prepared food for Sans to heat up beforehand. He told the cub not to bother waiting up for him. And checking the time, it was almost midnight.

He really got held up.

The skeleton seated himself on the couch, placing his bag on the table and taking out the documetns he still needed to work on. He felt that if he saw his bed, Red would totally neglect his work to sleep. So living room it was.

As he worked on the files, he couldn’t help thinking about his cub. Sans was still keeping a relative distance from him.

It made sense that the tiger would considering the history of owners he had. But Red was hoping that they could bond more if he were to be honest.

But if Sans preferred to be more on his own, then he supposed he would just have get used to coming back to a quiet home.

At least he wasn’t as lonely as before.

The creaking of a door got him out of his trance, and grinned at Sans who was walking towards him whilst rubbing his eyes.

“Hey, buddy. Sorry, did I wake you?” The cub shook his head as he neared the couch. “Thirsty?”

Sans shook his head again, and the tiger now sat on the couch with him, looking at the mess of papers he created on the table.

“Yeah, still got some work to take care of. But you should go back to sleep.” Red lifted his hand and caught himself again. He really had to stop doing that.

Suddenly, Sans grabbed that same hand with one of his own, startling Red in the process, and put it on his head.

“I-I can?” The skeleton was in disbelief and excitement filled his core when Sans nodded.

Seeing how his owner brightened, Sans knew that he made the right decision. And he even purred at the gentle petting.

The skeleton was over the moon, having wanted to that since forever. Though, not wanting to overstep the line, Red pulled away. “Thanks for that.”

Red smiled softly at the confused look he received. “Must’ve been hard to let me do that in the first place, right? But really, don’t force yourself.” The skeleton leaned back on the couch and rested his head against the cushions so that he looked up at the ceiling. “I like you just the way you are.”

… Tears began to trickle from his eye sockets, and Sans climbed on Red’s lap to hug him.

The skeleton didn’t say a word, and only returned the embrace and rubbing the other’s back soothingly; he let his cub cry to his heart’s content.

When Sans was eventually all cried out, Red couldn’t help chuckling at the soft sniffles and kissed his forehead. “Let’s get you to bed.”

Heading to Sans’ room, he felt the tiger tighten the grip on his shirt and shook his head.

“What? You want to sleep with me?” Sans simply laid his head back on his shoulder. “Pfft. All right.”

The skeleton walked to his room and deposited his cub on the bed. “You go on ahead and get comfy. I still need to shower and change.” And with that, Sans was left to settle and tuck himself in. But he wasn’t going to sleep until Red was in the bed with him, so he waited for the latter to finish.

About fifteen minutes later, Red came back, wearing striped pajamas and turned off the lights as he made his way to the bed. A huge yawn left his mouth as he settled himself beside his cub.

“Night, Sans.” Though it came out more as a mumble, and another peck was planted to the tiger’s forehead. It didn’t take long for Red to fall asleep once his head hit the pillow. He was dead to the world.

Sans stared at the peaceful expression the other wore in front of him, before propping himself up to return the favour and kissed Red on the head. He snuggled himself back in the comforters and closed his eyes.

Red was someone special to him now.

And he was going to do everything in his power to protect his most important person. 


	4. New Life

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Years have passed since then.

There was a weight that pressed on his back that brought him out of his slumber. And hearing his name made him groan.

“Get up, Red.”

“It was cute when you were little, but now you’re fucking heavy. Get off!”

Sans grinned; his tail swishing and ears twitching. He loved teasing Red.

“You love me.”

“I know, you brat.  _Ugh_. So heavy. Let up already!”

“Not cute.”

“Shut it.”

Sans decided to relent to the request, chuckling all the while. “Breakfast is ready too.”

Red grumbled and yawned widely; briefly stretching his bones before getting out of bed. “M'kay. Thanks.”

“Pffft. You’re so out of it. Another overnighter?”

Red sighed as the other’s hand grabbed his to pull him along. “Yeah. Fuckers can’t do anything right in the office.”

“Yeah?”

“Mmm.” Red responded with. And he was led to seat down before a delicious meal. “Looks good. Thanks again.”

Sans shrugged though he couldn’t stop the small smile on his face as he headed towards the sink to wash the dishes. “Considering how you practically passed out when you came home, you need your rest.”

Red laughed softly before he began to eat. He couldn’t help looking over to Sans and his smile felt like a permanent fixture on his face. He felt nostalgic all of a sudden.

_Has it been 5 years already? Hard to believe but … the cub’s really grown. He’s even a head taller than me. The fucker._

Red remembered the day Sans said his first word, having done a little celebration for the occasion and more so when it was his name to boot. Sans had begun trying to talk in full sentences, and the skeleton had called his brother over to teach the tiger proper grammar and vocabulary.

Red chuckled when he recalled their first meeting. Sans and his little brother weren’t exactly on good terms; more of tolerating each other’s presence. He never knew why, but as long as they weren’t really at each other’s throats, he let it be.

“What’s so funny?”

“Hmm. Just remembering stuff when you were just a cub." 

"I’m a full-grown adult.”

“Yeah,” Red grinned at the tiger. “And you became such a smartass. Where’s my little angel who was always clinging to my leg and would pout and whine when things doesn’t go his way?”

“Oh shut up.”

The skeleton laughed, but it was unfortunately cut short when the phone rang. Red groaned when he checked who it was from. “Ugh, Filch. The fucker really needs to lay off. Wish someone fired him already.” Nonetheless, he answered the call.

Sans became agitated just from hearing that name. He had been doing errands and was close to getting home one night, when he spotted Red coming out of cab … along with another monster that was getting too touchy for his liking.

Red had been drunk too, and that pissed the tiger off more. His Red was being taken advantage of, and he wasn’t having it.

Sans growled lowly from the memory. ‘Looks like my threat was taken lightly. I’ll break his bones and send him to the hospital the next time I see him.“ He walked towards Red to embrace him from behind, nuzzling the nape.

"H-Hey. Stop it. I’m on the phone.”

“Don’t care. Hang up.”

Red sweat dropped.  _Geez_. “Anyway, Filch, go ask Lian about it. She probably has the documents you need.”

“Ah, I see. All right, I’ll go do that.”

_Finall—_

“Oh, and about this weekend, if you’re free—”

Sans grabbed the phone, “He isn’t. Bye.” And hung up.

Red blinked and blinked again, trying to process what just happened.

“I don’t like that guy.” Sans tightened his hold around the skeleton and buried his head on the other’s shoulder.

Hearing the petulance in the tone, Red had to laugh. He relaxed into the hold as he leaned back and grabbed at the arms around him. “Yeah, well you and me both.”

“Hmph.” Sans kept his hold on the skeleton, and shuffled them to the couch so that Red sat on his lap when they flopped down.

“Hmm? What’s up? You’re marking me again?”

“It’s necessary. ‘Cuz your ‘colleagues are having trouble taking a hint.”

Red simply relaxed to the hold, “They already know I’m taken.”

“Well,” Sans’ tail landed on Red’s lap that allowed the other to pet it. “Just in case then.”

“Heh, just in case huh.”

“Okay, so I’m still working on toning down.”

“Work harder.”

“Hmph.” Was all the tiger said before grabbing the remote on his side to turn on the tv, and the two watched whatever program was on.

It’s been five long years.

Red felt old, but he couldn’t help but wonder if Sans felt much older considering the lifespan of white tigers …

Twelve years. That’s how old Sans was going to be before—

“Shut up.”

Red jolted from his spot. “… I didn’t say anything.” The tightening of the hold around him was enough of an answer that made the skeleton sigh.

He got the message, but still—

Now it was his turn to hear Sans sigh.

“I know. It sucks.  _I know_.”

Red felt a kiss on his head.

“But the time will come when it does. It’s useless worrying about something still far in the future. There is still 1095 days you know. Plenty of time.”

“… Hmph. Fucking nerd.” Though, it did help ease his soul.

His partner was right. Just focus and enjoy the now. Because their time together was short, so they’ll just have to make the most of what they can.

“By the way, your brother called.”

Red had to groan. “Ugh, is he coming over?”

“Yup. Said something about bringing his own pet over.”

“Oh, that’s new … Then again, he was the one who suggested I get one in the first place.”

“Wonder if it’s a tiger like me.”

“Heh, maybe.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this ends the tiger Sans mini series. :)


End file.
